Shoe stretcher



July 17, 1928.

B. LAVIANO ETAL SHOE STRETCHER Filed July 18, 1927 FIGURE 3 FIGURE '3FIGURE 4:

ATTORNEY Patented July 17, 1928. I v I UNITED STATE S PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN LAVIANO, JOSEPH ALESSE, AND SALVATORE CAIPAGNA, oF sAN me,

V CALIFORNIA.

. snons'rnnrcnnn.

Application filed July 18, 1927. Seiialflo. 206,585.

It is the object of the invention to provide wardly projecting fingers13 mounted upon a stretcher for leather shoes that will'apply itsforward end by means of resilient straps pressureuniformly to the upperand side as 14. One of these strapslis mounted in a portions of the toeand adjoining parts to recess 15 on each side of element 12 and 5stretch the same simultaneously. is seated in a similar recess in theside'of 60 It is another object of the invention to the adjoiningvfinger '13. This construction provide a device of the characterindicated causes the fingers to move as 'a unit with that will besimple'in constructiom'economithe element 12 andyet they may be spreadcal to manufacture, and highly efficient in its laterally at the sametime. A socket 16 is ti l lication, formed in theunder side of element12and 6b In the drawings v crosswise thereof near its point of attach-Figurel is a plan view of the device, part ment to plate 8. A socket isalso formed being broken away. I in the underside of element 12 and atright Figure 2 is a side elevation of the device, angles to socket 16 toreceive an operating part broken away. element as hereinafter described,this socket 10 Figure 3 isa s de elevation of the device as beingindicated at 17 Formed in thebottoni shown in Figure '2' with one sideelement of e ement 12 and communicating with the d 7 V r socket 17, is arecess 18' open at its forward Figure 4C is an'in'side side elevation ofone end, and formed in the bottom of fingers 13 20 of the side elementsof the device. and communicating with the recess 18- is a 75 Figure 5 isan enlarged perspective view tapering channel 19. This channel narrowsof the device with part removed and partly. from both the sides and topas it approaches in ction, I 4 the forward ends of the fingers to formcam 2 Figure 6 is a section on. line 6-6 of Figsurfaces for the purposehereinafter set 5 ure 2. p I Figure 7 is a side elevationof the spreaderbottom of the to piece and the fingers is shoe. 1 l i v flat, but sincet e up er surface of the Referring now more particularly to the bottomor base is provl ed with a cam ,surdrawing, we show at 1 abase element,oblong face it results that whenthe device is asbut having an upstandingboss on one end throughout approximately one-half their of its uppersur'face as at 2. A distance forlength as clearly shown in Figure 3; v

wardly of the part2 the element increases At 23 we shoW a shoe'a'daptedto seat in in thickness to form a cam surface 3, and. recess 18and-tapering somewhat forwardly longitudinally of this upper surface andin as at 24 to readily enter into anden' age the 00 the median linethereof is formed a cam slot channel 19. Extending laterally rom the i,the bottom surface thereof sloping down- I shoe 23 are wings as 25provided'with laterwardly from its front to its rear end as inallyextending pins 26 adapted to engage dicated. This element is widenedsomewhat the grooves 10 in the side elements 9-9.-

laterally as at 5"and terminates at its ,for- Depending from theunderside of the shoe '95 ward end in a toepiece' 6 provided with is akeel 27 adapted to engage the slot4 in shoulders 7. Upon the rear end ofelement part 1. To the rear end of this element is 1 is mounted a"resilient plate 8 extending a connected a threaded operating rod 28 bydistance thereabove. means ofa swiveljoint at 29. On the rod" At 99 areshown two side elements hav- 28 is mounted an element 30 having later-"ing their outer surfaces shaped to the general ally extending pins 31adapted to engage the formation of the shoe on their outer sides, socket16 as shown. each element having a groove 10 formed It is obvious thatwith the construction longitudinally thereof and in'its inner. surabovedescribed the side elements 99 and 50 face as shown. These elements aremounted the top piece 12 with fin ers 13 are normall upon the plate 8 asat 11, this platefbeing held in close contactua relationship with 1their only support. each other so as to present a solid form hav- A toppiece is shown at 12, this piece being substantiallythe same outerconformaing also mounted at its rear end upon the tion as the shoe to bestretched. When the U resilient plate 8 and having a pair of fordeviceis inserted in a shoe in the usual manforth, and as indicated at 20, 21,22. The 8D in general formation and fiat on the bottom sembled there isa space between the parts" 84} Y Her and the rod 28 rotated the shoe 23and parts connected thereto is moved forwardly. This forward movement iseffected by means of the threaded engagement-of the rod with the element30 which is held against movement by its position in the socket 16. Asthe shoe moves forwardly it engages the channel 19, and since this istapering 1n form it gradually forces the two parts 13 to spreadoutwardly against the tension of the spring elements 14. At the sametime the keel 27 is advancing in slots which forces the shoe upwardlyand thereby raises the part 12 and parts carried thereby against thetension of the spring plate 8. At the same time that these actions aretaking place the pins 26 are moving forwardly in grooves 10 in sideelements 9 thereby forcing them outwardly and upwardly against thetension of resilient plate 8. It will be noted that the part 12 with itsfingers 13, and 99 have a pivotal movcment due to their singleattachment at their rear ends, and since the spreader, comprising parts23 to 27, is positioned intermediate the plate 8 and the forward end ofthe stretcher the forward ends of the said parts are spread at the verypoint where'the shoe is to be stretched. Furthermore, by means of thisdevice the shoe is stretched laterally and upwardly'at the same timethereby securingthe desired result quickly and effectively.

It is to be understood, of course, that while wehave herein shown anddescribed but one specific embodiment of the invention, changes in form,construction and method of assembly and operationmay be made withinthe/scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A shoe stretcher comprising a base,an upstanding resilient platemounted on one end thereof, a pair of opposed spreader elementsconnected to the plate and normal 1y paralleling the sides of the base,a spread.- er element mounted on the top of the base and connected tosaid plate, and means for spreading the elements against the tension ofthe resilient plate.

2QA shoe stretcher comprising a base element, opposed side elementsmovablyconnected thereto and normallyparalleling the sides thereof, atop spreader element connected thereto and overlying the base besaidside elements, and an element mounted on the base and movablelongitudinally thereof adapted to engage said side elements. top andfingers to move the same outwardly against their resilient mountings.

4; A shoe stretcher comprising a base, a top member resiliently'mountedthereon at one end and having a pair of laterally swingable fingersresiliently mounted upon its opposite end, a shoe slidably mounted onthe said base beneath said topand fingers, and cam surfaces formed 011said base, top and fingers whereby a movement of the shoe in onedirection will move the top element upwardly, and the fingers upwardlyand outwardly with'respect tot-he base. i

5. A shoe stretcher comprising a base I memberhaving a slot formed alongthe median line of its upper surface, a shoe hav-' ing laterallyextending pins and .a keel to slidably engage said slot,'opposed sideelements resiliently connected at their corresponding ends to one end ofthe base and having grooves formed in their opposed sides to engage thepins on said shfoe,a top element resiliently mounted at one end to theend of the base adjacent the connections of the side elements and havinga recess formed in its under surface to receive said shoe and having apair of fingers extending forwardly from its other end and resilient lyconnected thereto to swing laterally, the said lingers having a channelformed in their under surfaces to receive said shoe and taperingforwardly whereby "a forward movement of the shoe therein will effectsaid lateral swinging movement, and operatingmeans for the shoe.SALVATORE CAMPAGNA. JOSEPH ALESSE. BENJAMIN LAVIANO.

